Many soccer fans posted in those threads. It was the sheer pomposity of those two (especially Gumbel) that earned ridicule more than anything. Talking down to Americans and making them out to be idiots if they don't follow a sport is not a great strategy for winning new fans.

Correction, the Gumbel thread was devoted to discussion of the idiocy of Bryant Gumbel. But, naturally, being communists, it must be difficult for you to understand the superiority of the American brand of football.

Is it seriously such a strain for you to scroll past something and NOT read it?

What does it take, maybe 7 seconds of pressing and holding a button on your mouse to go past a WC post on the main page? Even easier to not click into a thread concerning the WC, or restrain yourself from responding to anyone in a 'common' thread that might mention the WC.

Furthermore, it is about as off-season as you can get. What exactly are you missing out on? The paint drying on the new M on the stadium turf? These days no news is good news, aside from a few more non-qualifying recruits who do not warrant letter-writing campaigns and rending of garments, there is very little going on and what news there is still makes it onto the site, so it isn't as if you are missing anything. Summary of M news in the last few weeks: some recruits visit and like us a lot, some visit and only like us a little bit...some don't visit. Some are going to choose to play football at M, most won't. Some are going to change their minds.

Even if I hated soccer, which I don't, I for one am glad for any distraction from the 'crisis du jour' of our beleageured and beloved coach over the previous few months. Dog willing he found a few minutes in the last few weeks to at least knock one off while no one was breathing down his neck or jamming their hand into his jock. I also hope he finished by wiping himself with a picture of 'you-know-who', but I digress.....

Because Americans love a winner, and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. The very thought of losing is hateful to Americans. That is why we don't love this communist kick-ball. We are not the best at it.